"James Brown Is Dead" is a song by Dutch electronic dance music duo L.A. Style, produced by Wessel van Diepen and Denzil Slemming. It was released in August 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, L.A. Style (1993). The song was a major hit across Europe, reaching number-one in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Additionally, it also reached the top 10 in Australia, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In the US, it peaked at number 59 on the BillboardHot 100.[4]
The song inspired multiple answer songs and is considered a "techno classic" with artists like DJ Irene mixing it into their sets and DJ Boozy Woozy who used samples of Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair" with the main sample of "James Brown Is Dead" to create his song "Party Affair" (2002).[4]
In 2001, Wessel van Diepen and Arista Records released "James Brown Is Dead 2001", a new version of the L.A. Style original.[citation needed]
Critical reception
Andy Kastanas from The Charlotte Observer wrote, "This is high energy rave at its frantic beat. Racing forward like a locomotive, it never slows down until you're exhausted. The voice tells you that 'James Brown is dead' while the beat rocks your body from here to eternity."[5]Robert Hilburn from Los Angeles Times commented in his year-end review of 1992, "A good starting point because this record's self-conscious, yet unapologetic celebration of dance-floor minimalism helped give the movement credibility and direction. Released in 1991, but it enjoyed its greatest success this year."[6]
In the wake of "James Brown Is Dead" the song "James Brown Is Still Alive" was released that same year by Holy Noise, a techno group also from the Netherlands. Although the first song's lyrics do actually assert that James Brown(1933–2006), "the hardest working man in showbiz is alive", the Holy Noise song is regarded as an answer to the L.A. Style song.[20][21]
In 1992, J.Y. Factory released "James Brown is Dead or Alive!?!?", remixing both James Brown Is Dead and James Brown Is Still Alive, in addition to T99's Anasthasia.
Also in 1992, Mexican comedian Memo Ríos recorded a Spanish parody called "Pedro Infante murió" ("Pedro Infante Is Dead") referring to the Mexican film actor.
